PHD in Finance: ATTN BCHAD

[The_Righteous_Hacksa]

@busprof

Finance prof here.

Calc 2 is pretty much the bare minimum (and I do mean “minimum”). Ideally, a decent program would want GMATs north of 700 (and top percent on the quant side), linear algebra, real analysis (indicates that they can think through proofs) and some decent math stats. But the biggest thin (IMO) is somehow conveying that you “Get” what a PhD is (not just a super-MBA), and that you have both the capability and (just as important, if not more so) the attitude that will make you successful as a pointy-headed quant-nerd.

The first year is typically foundation stuff - shoring up any quant deficiencies, econometrics, etc… Then seminars for a year or two where you get up to speed on all the extant research. After 2nd year, you get comprehensive exams, where they can ask you basically about anything you’ve seen in the last 2 years. Then comes the dissertation.

Most students get a few research projects under their belt as research assistants - usually as part of their program’s requirements. Sometimes they get an idea out of that that becomes a dissertation, and sometimes it comes out of a paper they did as part of a seminar. Or sometimes, their advisor give them an idea.

The write up a preliminary treatment/proposal of it - the basic idea, why anyone would give a sh*t, a lit review, and some basic statistics/results. Then they have to get approval for this from their dissertation committee. If they’ve kept them in the loop, their chair is not an idiot, and they get to this point, they typically get past this.

Then (and only then), they get to write their dissertation. The shortest one I’ve seen was 60 pages, and I’;ve seen some that ran 250 pages (mine was about 180). With luck, a candidate might get 2 (or even 3) publications out this. Once they pass the proposal defense step, getting the dissertation done usually takes 6-9 months.

It’s a weird world, but a hell of a lot of fun.

sounds rough. thanks for the insight.

[goes_to_eleven]

@CFAvsMBA

^Fck That and Fck You! It’s TOP 2 dipsht! If you don’t crack a perfect SAT score when you’re a freshman in high school, axe your sack, and your cock for that matter.

As a late bloomer, I love this observation. So you had good parents and had you sh!t together when you were 15 years old. Bully for you.